Coastal management program

Through our coastal management program, we work to keep our beaches and coastline in good to excellent condition as per the Environment and Liveability Strategy target to maintain and improve the health of our coast to good or excellent grade by 2041.

It’s a balancing act. We need to manage challenges such as climate change, a growing population and dynamic coastal systems. While at the same time providing healthy, enjoyable beaches, for our community, visitors and our wildlife.

Our coastline also plays an important role as a buffer between the ocean and our community infrastructure such as roads, parkland, and coastal pathways.

The coastal management program includes:

beaches
canals
intermittently closed and open lakes and lagoons (ICOLLs)
constructed coastal lakes and locks.

How does our coastline work?

Our coastline is constantly changing. The way sand moves along our coastline is a complex natural process. Beaches erode and build in response to the natural processes that shape them — wind, waves, currents and tides.

These processes maintain the balance of sand between beaches, dunes and near shore sand bars.

Most of the sand on our beaches comes from mid-north New South Wales and occurs because of dominant south easterly trade-winds which drive a gradual longshore drift of coastal sands to the north. The offshore islands around Moreton Bay can disrupt this process though and the sand will even move south in some cases, like southern Caloundra.

During storm events, particularly east coast lows and cyclones, increased sea levels and powerful waves and currents can result in a short-term shift in the balance of sand, known as short-term erosion, from beaches and dunes to the near shore wave break area.

This sand returns to beaches under calmer conditions where it may be blown and contribute to dunes which are stabilised by coastal vegetation.

Coastal processes

Coastal process study

Information on sand movements along our coastline are detailed in the Coastal Processes Study.

Learn more by reading the Coastal Processes Study

Coastal process model

The Sunshine Coast and Noosa Regional Coastal Process Model, will involve using data and a complex computer program to model future sand movement and how our shoreline could evolve.

This will offer valuable insight that will help us plan the best ways to manage and preserve our beloved beaches and foreshores.

Sunshine Coast and Noosa councils are partners in the project funded by the Australian Government to map the coast from Kings Beach at Caloundra to Noosa Main Beach.

Coastal process fact sheets

sand movement on the Sunshine Coast (PDF, 837KB)

Coastal discovery van

Book our mobile coastal discovery education centre to learn about the coastal processes that shape our beaches and how we work to protect our coastal lifestyle.

Book the Coastal Discovery Van.

Coastal hazards

Planning for coastal hazards and climate change are important considerations when planning for the future of our coastal communities, beaches and environment.

These hazards include erosion and inundation (storm tide and sea level rise) and present both current and medium to long-term management challenges for council.

Over time, the frequency of extreme weather events is likely to increase as a result of climate change and other processes.

This results in an expected increase in the severity of coastal erosion and storm surge hazards and therefore risks to coastal assets and communities.

Coastal hazard adaptation strategy

The Coastal hazard adaptation strategy is a long-term strategy to help manage the impacts of coastal hazards. Learn more about the coastal hazard adaptation strategy.

Coastal hazard maps

The Department of Environment and Science has made maps that show the predicted impact of coastal hazards.

Beaches

Beach erosion is part of a natural cycle where sand is constantly building up or being eroded by waves, wind and tides. We prefer to let this happen naturally. However, if beach erosion threatens community infrastructure such as services, public buildings and roads, depending on the circumstances, Council may consider a range of management options.

These options are outlined in the Shoreline Erosion Management Plan and include:

beach nourishment - sand relocation via dredging or mechanical means such as trucks, and sand scraping from the intertidal zone.
dune management – restoration and revegetation for increased resilience
construction of groynes, revetment walls and seawalls.

The Sunshine Coast Coastal management policy also outlines Councils obligations when managing our important foreshore. It informs coastal management activities on public land, including:

capital works
operational works
emergency works
development assessment
community engagement.

Beach nourishment

Nourishing a beach involves relocating sand from a river estuary, onshore or offshore sand bank or from another beach with excess sand and placing it directly onto the beach, or in the nearshore (just offshore) so it can move onto the beach naturally in time.

Beach nourishment increases both the depth of sand and the beach width. It helps with erosion by increasing the buffer between the shoreline and infrastructure.

The greater volume of sand deposited, the more resilient the beach is to erosion.

There are regular beach nourishment campaigns at Maroochydore, Mooloolaba and Golden beach.

The sand sourcing study considers where the sand could come from.

sand sourcing study (PDF, 1799KB)

Maroochydore beach

Beach nourishment campaigns at Maroochydore beach take place every one to two years, depending on the condition of the beach. Sometimes booster pumps are used to reach Alexandra Headland beach. Learn more about this project.

Management of Maroochydore beach has been informed by the Maroochydore beach management strategy (pilot study) (PDF, 2929KB)

Maroochydore nearshore beach nourishment trial

We trialed nearshore nourishment as a way to replenish sand to Maroochydore Beach. This involved bringing in sand from another source in the coastal system. It was then placed it in the nearshore area off Maroochydore beach where natural coastal processes gradually moved the sand onshore.

Learn more about the nearshore nourishment trial.

Mooloolaba beach

We work with the Queensland Government (Maritime Safety Queensland) as part of their project to remove sand from the mouth of the Mooloolah River.

Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) needs to remove sand from the entrance channel of the Mooloolaba harbour and the surrounding sand shoal for safe navigation and to keep the harbour well maintained.

This sand is then used to restore areas of Mooloolaba Beach which have been affected by erosion.

To do this, MSQ dredges sand from the mouth of the Mooloolah River and the shoal in Mooloolaba Bay.

The dredge connects to Council’s pipeline that is already buried beneath the sand along Mooloolaba Beach.

The sand is then transported through the pipeline and machinery is used to move it further up the beach to where it is needed. Sometimes booster pumps are used to reach the western end of Mooloolaba Beach.

Golden beach

We have Australian and Queensland government approvals to dredge sand from particular areas of the Pumicestone Passage to nourish Golden Beach.

The conditions of the permit restrict the times of year we can dredge and locations we are able to dredge from.

A condition of our permit is to avoid dredging in areas where there is seagrass. We do annual surveys to make sure we avoid dredging in these areas.

We also take care to avoid migratory birds and aquatic life within the Pumicestone Passage.

Learn more about Golden Beach nourishment campaigns.

Sand scraping

Sand scraping is the process of re-shaping the beach profile.

Machinery is used to move sand from the lower part of the beach to the upper part of the beach when there is a good sand supply present.

This helps to improve safety, protect coastal assets like seawalls, boat ramps, viewing platforms, and enables the beach to better withstand the potential impacts of storm events.

The advantage of beach scraping is that local sand sources can be used.

This is temporary and eventually the profile of the beach will change and further scraping may be required.

Dune building

This is the process of rebuilding dunes that have worn away. It’s a practical solution that works with natural coastal processes. This can involve scraping sand from the beach, adding more sand, and planting native coastal plants.

Plants can’t survive severe erosion events, however don’t take long to recover. Dune vegetation helps to trap wind-blown sand, making the dunes bigger and stronger against future erosion events.

Get involved – join a local Bushcare group.

Groynes

Groyne walls, often placed perpendicular to the shoreline, trap beach sand and can reduce shoreline erosion on the up-drift side.

However, sand is often eroded on the down drift side. Groyne material can be rock, concrete tetrapods or geotextile bags. Groynes tend to be visually intrusive in a natural beach environment.

Gryones have been used at:

Cotton tree
Kings beach
Golden beach.

As with all of our coastal infrastructure, regular condition assessments are undertaken to check for any issues that may arise. This allows defects to be fixed quickly which can help to prolong the life of the structure.

Seawalls

Seawalls are an important tool to protect our valued community areas against the impacts of storms, high tides and rising sea levels.

Coastal seawall design considerations

Seawalls help to prevent the loss of land caused by coastal erosion and act as a barrier against storm surges and high tides. They safeguard important community infrastructure like roads, parks, car parks, pathways, playgrounds and amenity blocks.

Coastal seawall design needs to consider several key factors to be effective and long lasting.

Be location specific: Seawalls need to consider the unique coastal process and aspects of their specific coastal location, adhere to modern engineering standards, comply with legislative requirements and be approved by the relevant authorities.

Breaking waves: The seawall design should aim to dissipate wave energy rather than reflect it. The wall should make the waves interact gently instead of hitting it hard. This can be achieved by using a sloped profile and/or include voids the water can go into. Either will reduce the force of the waves hitting the wall.

Community safety: The seawall should be high enough to reduce “overtopping’’ by waves during a weather event and mitigate damage to the area behind the wall and potential risks to anyone on the foreshore.

A healthy coastline: A seawall should minimise the impact on the area’s coastal process and not significantly change the amount of sand moving in and out with storms and the tide.

Strong materials: It should use durable, non-corrosive materials such as stone or concrete, to withstand harsh coastal conditions, keep the maintenance low and not break down in the water.

Height and strength: The seawall should be strong enough to withstand the maximum expected wave forces for its location and be able to stand up on its own. For a sloped seawall, current engineering standards consider this to be a minimum of 1:1.5 profile which is for every 1 metre high, the seawall should be 1.5 metres wide and have big enough rocks that can not move in storm events.

Strong foundations: A deep and stable foundation is crucial to prevent undermining and collapse of the seawall so it does not get washed away. The foundation should be buried deep in the sand and below the expected erosion levels.

Be future proof: Designs must adhere to modern engineering standards and consider future sea-level rise and increased storm intensity due to climate change.

Drainage and erosion control: Proper drainage systems need to be incorporated into the design to prevent water from accumulating behind the wall and causing structural failure.

Consider amenity: Seawall designs should consider the visual impact on the coastal landscape and incorporate features that help it to blend with the surroundings. They can incorporate steps or places where people can sit, watch the waves and enjoy the beach.

Cost-effectiveness: A seawall design should balance initial construction costs with long-term maintenance needs. Making use of locally available materials is one such avenue for cost effectiveness.

Mooloolaba Foreshore Revitalisation Project

The Mooloolaba seawall is being replaced with a terraced seawall which will improve coastal protection and enhance accessibility.

Find out more at the Mooloolaba Foreshore Revitalisation Project.

Moffat Beach Seawall Reconstruction Project

The Moffat Beach seawall reconstruction project is a crucial initiative to protect our community parklands, paths, roads and facilities from the impacts of future climate change, while also keeping our coastline healthy and maintaining access to the beautiful beach.

Find out more about the Moffat Beach Seawall Reconstruction Project.

Golden Beach seawall

At Golden Beach, we will be constructing and replacing seawalls at various locations across the next 10 years.

Learn more about the Golden Beach foreshore works.

Maroochydore seawall

Council has development approval for a seawall at Alexandra Headland/Maroochydore beach.

Even though this approval is in place, there is no timeframes for construction as erosion is yet to reach a point that built infrastructure is required.

Learn more about:

Alexandra Headland to Maroochydore Beach buried seawall (PDF, 982KB)

Dicky Beach seawall

A previous approval for a seawall at Dicky Beach has now lapsed.

Living seawalls

50 panels have been bolted to the side of the Brightwater Lake wall to create a living seawall.

It is hoped the living seawall will create more habitat for marine creatures within the constructed waterbody and improve its biodiversity by encouraging more seaweed to grow, create more homes for sea life and draw more fish into the lake.

It could also have the added benefit of improving water quality, and is a first for the Sunshine Coast.

The 18 month research trial is a project being undertaken through the Sunshine Coast Council and University of the Sunshine Coast regional partnership agreement.

Learn more about the living seawall trial.

Beach access

Designated beach access

Designated beach accesses help to protect the sensitive dunes and coastal foreshore areas from erosion and damage.

Council carries out regular repairs, maintenance or upgrades to keep each access in good condition.

This means beachgoers can continue to get safely to the beach while protecting our dunes and wildlife.

Beach access stairs materials are robust and long lasting. This includes cement stabilised decomposed granite for flat pathways, sometimes concrete footpaths and for staircases marine grade aluminium frames, timber treads and balustrades and mini-mesh landings to match Council’s Landscape Infrastructure Manual.

Beach access signage provides information to the public about what is allowed on the beach, highlights any potential hazards in the area and is also used by emergency services as location markers in emergencies.

Accessible beach program

Beach wheelchairs and matting are available at some locations and are helping to make our beaches accessible for people of all abilities.

Discover wheelchair accessible beaches across the Sunshine Coast.

Development in coastal areas

You might need approval for construction and other activities in coastal areas.

For more details, check out Council's development applications and tidal works webpages.

Intermittently closed and open lakes and lagoons

Intermittently closed and open lakes and lagoons (ICOLLs) are coastal lakes and lagoons that alternate between being open or closed to the ocean.

ICOLLs are separated from the ocean by a beach barrier, berm or sand.

ICOLLS don’t always stay open to the ocean.

The entrance barrier forms or breaks down depending on the movement of sand and sediments by waves, tides, flood flows and wind.

There are five ICOLLs on the Sunshine Coast:

Currimundi Lake
Coondibah Lake
Bunbubah Creek
Tooway Lake
Stumers Creek.

Learn more about these intermittently closed and open lakes and lagoons.

Canals

Canals are man-made waterways that rise and fall with the tides and don’t have any barriers like weirs or locks. The job of taking care of canals is shared between the property owner and Council.

Find out more about living on Sunshine Coast canals.

Artificial coastal lakes and locks

Artificial coastal lakes are semi-tidal. This means there is a structure, like a weir that controls the water level to keep it above a certain point.

Water can enter the lake in different ways, such as through open pipes, pumps, weirs, or mechanical gates.

Learn more about the lock systems and your responsibilities when living on an artificial lake managed by Council.

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